Add Category
Updated
Far from the streets of Wuhan or Venice, a town in regional Victoria is beginning to feel the effects of COVID-19, sparking concerns for the region's homeless people.
Key points:
- The charity Foodshare in Shepparton is normally delivered 300kg of food but only 10kg turned up, with no bread
- There are 116,000 homeless people, and every year around 288,000 people attempt to access specialist support
- This week the Victorian Government announced it would provide $6m to state homelessness organisations
Empty supermarket shelves caused by panic buying, volunteers abandoning charities to practice social distancing, and years of government neglect have advocates for the homeless worried about how they will manage if the virus reaches town.
This week, after supermarket shelves were cleared, one food share organisation's supply fell to dire levels.
"Yesterday we got one crate of food … around 10kg of fresh produce," Shepparton Foodshare's Grace Grieve said.
"We'd normally get about 300kg of fresh produce and bread, whereas yesterday we got no bread."
She said supermarkets had warehouses with plenty of food, and urged people to stop panic buying.
"We've got an abundance of food [in Australia], so no one needs to panic and place extra strain on organisations like ours."
Homeless rely on food charities, community help
In Shepparton, many of the town's homeless population congregate on the banks of the Goulburn River in groups or as solo wanderers.
The town has the highest homeless population in regional Victoria and those who sleep rough rely on food charities or specialist organisations for support.
Homeless man Paul Church has lived with four others in a camp in the forest for the past four months, but said people moved around often.
Paul and the people he lives with spend their time fishing, fixing bikes or visiting the library.
They cook and look out for one another, and Paul said he felt safer in their company than he would be sleeping alone in a doorway in town.
He said it had been tough for people living on the river in the past couple of weeks, as supplies in the supermarkets dwindled and there was less food available through charities.
"I'm OK because I grew up on the land, but I'm past killing and eating things," he said.
"I mainly go to the shops, or to Foodbank when things get tight — we'd be lost without them."
"People here have been talking about toilet paper going missing in the supermarkets, some meat … things are tightening up, and I honestly hope it doesn't get any worse."
Your questions on coronavirus answered:
He said it was challenging at the best of times getting sick while sleeping rough.
"I don't know how I'd look after myself if I came down with the coronavirus — it's harder out here when you do get sick," he said.
"I've tried to tough it out and nearly killed myself doing it — whether it's summer or winter, you've gotta look after yourself as best you can, otherwise it'll get you. It's a harsh environment."
Homeless man feels safer in the bush
A second homeless man, who did not want to be named, told the ABC toughing it out in the bush felt safer as the world dealt with the pandemic.
The man lived on the banks of the river in a tent with his partner, two tiny guard dogs and an old couch.
He had an undisturbed view of the water in a quiet area.
Clutching his cider and cigarettes, which he referred to as his "medicine", he pointed suspiciously back towards town.
"It's them out there that are the problem. As long as no-one comes out here we'll be fine," he said.
"I've never seen anything like this — it's the biggest threat to our borders since World War II."
Homelessness Australia estimates there are 116,000 homeless people, and every year about 288,000 people attempt to access specialist support.
Virus places strain on charities
Ms Grieve said the majority of her volunteers, all over the age of 65, had taken time off due to concerns about the coronavirus.
The not-for-profit Shepparton Foodshare supplies food to more than 100 local agencies, churches and community groups who then distribute the food to the vulnerable.
She said if people continued to panic buy or more volunteers had to leave, she would have to assess the short-term viability of running the place.
"It would put a lot of pressure on churches and community groups to support the homeless if we were to shut down," she said.
"We'd love the community to support us and bring in any donations, whether its a small jar of coffee, a loaf of bread, anything is greatly appreciated, and we will continue to be open for as long as we can."
She said a number of representatives from local charities had told her they were closing or operating at a limited capacity, adding further pressure.
One included a meal program that made 120 meals a week, and a second church organisation that ran a kids' play group.
"It's a huge concern and it's going to impact a lot of vulnerable people," she said.
Crisis is a 'wake-up call' to end homelessness
This week the Victorian Government announced it would provide $6 million to Victorian homelessness organisations to support Victorians at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness during the period.
The package, which will cover the next three months, aims to reduce rates of rough sleeping and give agencies extra resources to find temporary housing — but the funding does not meet the demand on the industry.
Jenny Smith from Homelessness Australia welcomed the announcement but said Australia was "starting out the crisis in a very disgraceful situation".
She said before the pandemic, agencies would turn away 250 people a day.
"We have seen significant efforts by states and territories in recent years, but we don't have any national policy in relation to homelessness or housing for people on low incomes," Ms Smith said.
"That, in turn, will make our current situation even more complex."
She said the virus would potentially cause a new, large group of people in casual work needing support, and potentially falling into homelessness.
"In the middle of a crisis it's not really the time to be critical, but for a country like Australia it's disgraceful," she said.
"I do think there is an opportunity to capitalise on public housing, which would bring positive immediate economic outcomes and provide long-term social outcomes.
"This should be a wake-up call for us to plan to end homelessness in Australia, so we're not under the pump when a crisis occurs."
Topics: health-policy, healthcare-facilities, covid-19, homelessness, social-systems, social-policy, shepparton-3630
First posted